In this evaluation of the climate resilience benefits of a natural infrastructure investment in the Meramec Greenway in Missouri, results suggest that the benefits in terms of avoided flood damages are significant.

In the twentieth century, flooding caused more deaths and property damage in the United States than any other natural disaster. Most climate models predict that flooding will worsen in the future, a prospect that is leading a growing number of communities to explore the use of natural areas as protection against extreme events.